About 100 residents and organizers rallied Saturday to condemn a controversial U.S. military operation in Venezuela that included strikes on Caracas and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, actions critics say represent an escalation of U.S. involvement and a violation of international norms.

Chants and speeches opposing the U.S. action echoed for more than an hour along Broad Street, stretching from a protest at the Maggie L. Walker Memorial Plaza to a second gathering several blocks away outside the federal courthouse. 

“When I heard about what happened last night, I was moved to tears,” said Fern Diaz-Castro of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. “My heart is broken … knowing that once again it’s going to be my people, it’s going to be our land that is impacted and hurt by the awful greed of this country.” 

The two demonstrations were among several held in Virginia and across the country, with the Party for Socialism and Labor Virginia and its partners gathering at Walker Plaza while the Virginia Defenders and other groups assembled outside the federal courthouse. 

“Things are always happening, especially in this administration, [...] and so we have to have our finger on the pulse and we have to always be ready for whatever may happen,” said PSL VA organizer David Robbins. 

At both protests, speakers and attendees called for an end to U.S. military action in Venezuela, the release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and described the escalation as part of a broader pattern of U.S. foreign interventions. 

Protesters also criticized the administration’s actions and their potential impact, while questioning official explanations for months of U.S. military activity in the region, including strikes on boats in the Caribbean last year. 

Lawrence Robinson, whose daughter died due to fentanyl poisoning in 2021, rebutted justifications that the strikes were part of efforts to deter the spread of drugs. “All we see is tankers of oil, and my daughter’s death is not worth oil.” 

Speakers at both protests outlined ways to continue opposition to the administration’s actions, including calls for a general worker strike, community education efforts, workplace organizing and increased collaboration among groups opposed to U.S. military involvement abroad. 

“Who makes this city run, who makes this state run, who makes this country run?” Virginia Defenders co-founder Phil Wilayto asked the assembled crowd outside the courthouse. “It’s the people.” 

Party for Socialism and Liberation Virginia organizer David Robbins speaks Saturday afternoon at Maggie L. Walker Memorial Plaza as a crowd gathers to protest U.S. actions in Venezuela. (photo by George Copeland, Jr./Richmond Free Press)